


In His Arms

by jjvibes



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Bisexual Spencer Reid, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Prentiss and Reid send each other cat pictures because I hc that, Reid and JJ friendship, Sad Spencer Reid, Sassy Reid, Schizophrenic Spencer Reid, Slow Burn, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug, Spencer Reid as Unsub, Spencer Reid x Unsub, Tags May Change, kinda angst, season 6 team, takes place in 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:34:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26928988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjvibes/pseuds/jjvibes
Summary: Reid and Ludwig are close, everybody's knows that. Sure, it's a strange friendship, the genius pretty boy and the man who showed up out of nowhere, but nobody thinks much of it. That is, until an unorthodox serial killer pops up and the profile leads them to a member of the BAU.
Relationships: Spencer Reid & The BAU Team, Spencer Reid/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 23





	In His Arms

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first AO3 fanfic, so I'm just trying to get used to the format :)  
> I came up with this while I was falling asleep and am going to try and put it together as well as I can, so I hope you enjoy :D  
> This chapter might be a bit short too since I just need to get it posted before the draft is deleted

\---

Spencer Reid chewed lightly on the cap of his ballpoint pen. He furrowed his eyebrow as he silently scanned the scattered pages in front of him.

His scribbled notes were collected in a somewhat neat pile next to his elbow. Reid flipped through the pages quickly, analyzing the case's information. The normal hustle and bustle of the BAU was somehow silenced in the room, which put Spencer at ease. He scratched his fluffy brown hair and sighed.

Something about this case didn't sit right with him.

The unsub's profile said she was a white female unsub in her late 20s to early 30s, taking expensive dresses from various stores, then dressing up and torturing men. The random wounds on the eight found male victims suggested she was sloppy, and that she lacked any kind of medical or criminal experience. But the way she was able to not leave a single trace on the body contradicted everything the BAU had gathered about the unsub.

A whirring sound prodded at the back of Reid's head. His eyes couldn't seem to focus on the page, and his light teeth marks on the pen became deeper and closer together.

A hand was placed on his head. "How's it going, Spencie?" Gavin Ludwig asked.

Reid kept his eyes glued onto the papers and swatted the man's hand away. "I'm fine. How come I didn't hear you come in?" 

Ludwig squinted at him. "I was coming in trying to get your attention, there was a whole speech and everything. You should've heard it, it put Churchill to shame."

Reid glanced up at his coworker and rolled his eyes. "This is more important than any of your antics, Gav." The man next to him sat on the table and grinned. Some of the papers were pushed away with the sudden movement.

"Sure, doc. The briefing is in a bit, you'll be ready by then, right?" Ludwig asked, picking up a chewed up cap of a pen from the table. He noticed Reid was fidgeting, and that he seemed more distracted than normal. There were ink blots on his notes, which suggested he'd been stuck while writing. "Hey, you okay?"

Reid shrugged, reading the same word over and over. "I'll be ready before the briefing. See yourself out, please."

Gavin scoffed. "This isn't your office, you know. It's a public space." But he hopped off of the table and walked out. "Good luck with the files."

Something was _off_ about this unsub. All unsubs were strange, of course, but Reid knew they couldn't help it. He knew of the urge in the back of their minds that constantly told them to do something wild, something unforgivable. To take the life of an innocent, and leave your mark on the world. As much as he'd deny it, Spencer Reid often felt himself relating to the unsubs.

A loud noise began erupting from next to Reid, and he quickly looked to see what it was. A vibrating phone rang out with a reminder that read, "you better start picking up your papers, spencie. you'll be late again." Reid recognized the phone as Gavin's at let himself crack a small smile. When Ludwig came to the BAU, he and Reid quickly connected. Unlike Emily or Rossi, there was no immediate tension between them. When Spencer was with Gav he felt warm. He felt at peace and the whirring always stopped when the brunet was with him.

Reid clicked the stop button and slipped Gav's phone into his jacket pocket. He picked up all the post-its and papers and headed towards the briefing room. Hotch was already standing in front of the board, Derek grinning as he saw Reid's disorganized demeanor. Rossi was chatting with some of the officers, most likely about one of his many ex-wives, while Prentiss and JJ made comments about the case to each other. Reid wondered where Gav was but took his place next to Derek.

"Somehow, details of this case have been released to the press, and they're calling the unsub "the countess of threads." The unsub is a female in her 20s or 30s, torturing men after putting them in stolen dresses. Eight male victims have been found in the D.C. area, and most of the wounds are sloppy and unsymmetrical, which suggests she's sloppy and may not have a criminal record. The only thing connecting the males are their appearances. She targets brown haired white males who are taller than 5'10. They're all in their 20s to 30s." Hotch explained in his usual monotone voice. "The cool-down period used to be weeks but is now only a week or so, which means our unsub could be devolving or having a psychological break. It's very possible-"

"Sorry I'm late, I was getting something." Gavin jogged into the room. All the BAU agents and police officers stared at him. Reid rubbed his eyes, but he didn't know what he had been expecting. He would always do things like this. It was a miracle that he hadn't been fired yet. "Spencie, can we talk after the meeting in the conference room?" Prentiss raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

Spencer sighed. Hotch cleared his throat. "Ludwig sit down, you can't keep interrupting meetings like this." Gavin stuck his tongue out and Hotch rubbed his eyes. "As I was saying, the unsub may have some sort of sexual fantasy that involves submissive men, but we can't say anything for sure. The bodies of the men are mutilated, but the face and hands remain intact."

"So could she already be on the prowl again?" A police officer asked. 

Hotch nodded. "Her intervals of killing are becoming shorter, so it's very likely."

\---

After a few minutes, the officers had finished asking questions and the profile meeting was dismissed. 

"Come over here." Ludwig pointed at Reid, who walked over.

"Gav, I told you not to call me Spencie in public. Did you see the looks I got?" Reid rubbed his arm.

"Aw, is Dr. Reid embarrassed?" Ludwig cupped his hands on his face and made an exaggerated expression. 

Reid sighed but still wondered what his friend wanted. He must've made a face because Gavin promptly asked him a question.

"Me, JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, and Derek are going to a bar tonight, wanna come?" He made a puppy-dog face.

"Why would I want to go to a bar with you all? I was planning on reading some more articles with potential evidence about this unsub." 

"Sure, it's bad that there's a serial killer on the loose, but are you really going to pass up the chance to hang out with me? If you don't come I'll be so lonely." If you didn't know him well, you would've thought that Ludwig was genuinely sad.

"Sure, there's a serial killer on the loose, but we're also going to hang out together, so you should come. It'll be boring without you." He frowned.

"Then that's your problem." Reid turned around and began walking to the meeting room.

"So I'll meet you at your apartment at seven?" Gavin spoke smugly.

Reid smiled. "Sure, Ludwig."

\---

It was 6:58. Reid had been looking at the clock every few seconds for the past fifteen minutes as if time would suddenly speed up and make him late. He looked at himself in the mirror and adjusted his shirt. Spencer had taken out his breathy warm weather clothes since even if Ludwig said they were only going for a drink they'd somehow end up at an overcrowded and overheated club. That's how these nights always ended, which is why Reid rarely accepted invites. 

6:59.

Reid liked seeing the numbers on a digital clock change. It was one of the only modern digital devices he enjoyed. The transition was so smooth and oddly comforting to him. He looked in the mirror again, then back at the clock. His light blue collared shirt was still the same. His converse shoes hadn't disappeared. His hair was still messy. His black pants still fit perfectly. Everything was the same, he didn't need to worry over anything. He looked back at the clock.

7:00.

Gav would be there any second. Reid ran his fingers through his hair. 

"Reid I'm here!" A muffled voice yelled from outside his apartment. Spencer opened the door to see Gavin, Emily, JJ, Penelope, and Derek. 

"Ooh look, the pretty boy got dressed up." Derek nudged Garcia.

"I'm just preparing for any possible events where we end up going somewhere afterward." Reid sighed. "Since it's never _just_ going to get drinks."

Gavin smiled. "Aw, you know me so well."

\---

Derek was smiling at some women he'd picked up from behind the bar, and Penelope was smiling at his flirtatious state.

"I will never understand how he just... does that." Prentiss sipped from her cup. The team had gotten a booth at the back of the bar, and they were sitting and staring at Morgan doing his magic. 

"It's like a sexy trance." Penelope smiled.

"It's not actually possible for speech to lure somebody into a trance, even if it is sexual. A group of psychologists once concluded that even if somebody did enter a trance it'd only be placebo." Reid explained, causing Gavin to smile.

Emily sighed. "Reid, just let Penelope enjoy her Derek time."

Garcia nodded at Reid. "I barely get any of it these days." 

Prentiss and Garcia finished off their drinks.

"You need another one?" JJ asked her friend. 

"Ugh, don't tempt me." She rubbed her forehead. Emily picked up her empty cup and swished the ice around with the movement of her glass. She glanced at Gavin's untouched drink and Reid's two empty glasses. Penelope had moved on to licking the ice cubes in the bottom of her cup, and JJ was still quietly sipping. Emily bumped her knee against JJ's and nodded towards Reid. He was staring out at the rest of the restaurant, rubbing his eyes in the process.

"You okay, Reid?" JJ asked.

"Hm?" He turned his head back towards her quickly, as if he'd been pulled out of somewhere. "Can you repeat that I wasn't listening?"

"I asked if you were okay. You've had two drinks in half an hour." Everyone looked up at Reid. It wasn't normal for Reid to drink more than half a glass in the span of several hours, so the team was a bit alerted.

"Oh yeah, I guess I was just thirsty." Reid shrugged. He brought his palm up to his eye and gently rubbed it. "Did you know that the only thing eyes know how to do is visualize, so when you put pressure on them they attempt to visualize what pressure feels like?"

"Well, at least he's not drunk." Ludwig smiled.

"And how about you? You haven't even _touched_ your drink." Prentiss raised a brow. "Did you two switch alcohol tolerances or something?" 

"Sure seems like it," Gavin spoke, ruffling his soft brunet hair with his hand. He gave a grin and Reid returned a light smile.

Spencer added Gavin's smile to his mental list of things he liked.

"Just remember we still have to work on the Countess of Threads case tomorrow, so don't drink _too_ much, alright?" JJ spoke to Reid softly. The man nodded. 

Derek walked over to their booth, a beautiful woman latched onto his arm. "This is Rosa. We met over there a few minutes ago." Morgan smiled and turned towards the woman. Her hair was a shiny dark brown, it's curls bouncy and healthy. Her eyelashes looked soft and her pale blue eyes sparkled in the dim bar light. She had a curved frame and her well-groomed nails were painted black. Reid adjusted himself in his seat. Emily leaned forward and drank some of her melted ice.

"Nice to meet you all. Derek was telling me all about you." Her voice was soft and radiated warmth.

"Gavin, I know you were planning on going to the club so I was gonna see if lovely Rosa here could come with. She says she's _great_ on the dance floor." Morgan smiled. Ludwig glanced at Reid, whose eyes were glued to the table. He tapped his friend's hand to see if he was just distracted or actively avoiding eye contact with the pretty woman. 

"Reid." He gently whispered. The genius' eyes quickly glanced at him and then switched back to the table. He was just avoiding eye contact with Rosa. "Sure, but I have to get something from the car first." Gavin rubbed the back of his neck. "Reid how about you come with? You can get your bag too." 

The brunet looked up and nodded. "Sure." He stepped out of the booth and waited for Ludwig to follow. "We'll be back soon." Reid waved.

The two men walked out of the bar and approached the car in the parking lot. Before Reid could open the door, Ludwig firmly grabbed his wrist. "Spencie, are you okay?" Reid flinched.

"Why do you ask?" He looked at his friend, still adjusting to the sudden pressure on his arm.

"Earlier you were reading slowly, your handwriting was disorganized, and then in there you kept rubbing your eyes, which you never do, and you drank. For once you _actually_ drank. Even more than me." Ludwig loosened his grip on Spencer's arm. "I just want to know if you're okay."

"I'm fine, Gav." Reid rubbed his forehead with his spare hand. "I've just got a little bit of a headache."

The brunet let go of his friend's wrist and sighed. "I can drive you home if you want. If you have a headache it's not a good idea to go to a club."

"I'm coming, but you don't have to worry about me. I think I do enough of that for the both of us." Reid smiled.

\---

**Author's Note:**

> So there's a sample of the story  
> I'll continue writing and update it soon :)


End file.
